Building Blue: Multiskilled Ty Mueller is Developing His Consistency with Abbotsford Canucks

Being a rookie provides plenty of difficult challenges for a player but in the initial stages of being a pro, Ty Mueller is checking a lot of boxes with the Abbotsford Canucks.

Plays centre primarily but can also play the wing if needed? Check.

Trusted in his own zone? Check.

Ability to play multiple positions on the power play? Check.

One of the coach’s most trusted penalty killers? Check.

The 21-year-old has stepped into the Abbotsford Canucks’ lineup and improved ever since game one of the season. Mueller is one of four players who has played in every game for Abbotsford this season and his ability to play up and down the lineup as a rookie is impressing his head coach Manny Malhotra.

“This league is all about developing and evolving your game and Ty is one of those guys who has adapted well and done well with the minutes that he has been given,” said Malhotra. “He’s already grown a lot. He’s taking on more minutes, he does both special teams, and he has an ability to just fit in and plug his game in with any two wingers. I give him credit; he’s done a really good job with his ability to adapt to the pro game.”

Mueller has six points over his last four games and has seen different linemates in each of the past two weekends. His head coach says the reason why he can fit in with different linemates is due to his playstyle being so direct.

Malhotra called him a power forward and how Mueller understands that playing simple and using his speed will allow him to find success in a hurry at the AHL level.

The coach likes the way that Mueller plays into his team’s structure and system. Whether Mueller is playing on the top line or the fourth line, he finds a way to contribute and take advantage of the ice team he receives.

“That mentality of owning the minutes you have and making the most of it, he's done a good job in terms of knowing who he is and not trying to be something he's not based on where he slotted in the lineup,” said Malhotra.

Developing a two-way, 200-foot game has always been a focus for Mueller. It’s something he has worked on ever since hockey began to take over his life. He is a player who wants to be able to contribute up and down the lineup but also be someone the coach can trust on both special teams' units.

“I’m trying to just be useful in all situations, I think that's extremely valuable, so that's what I try and do,” said Mueller. “Manny says it earns trust when you can play on both sides of the puck and be defensively responsible but also create scoring chances and [help] your team out on both ends.”

The AHL is a developmental league, and Mueller is still just 21 years old, but the early success isn’t getting him away from his path of development that is to be coming for the next couple of years in Abbotsford.

“The biggest thing right now is just making sure I'm always in the right spots, and just improving some of the little skills,” said Mueller. “I think I can polish up a few things to take my game to even higher levels.”

With long-time NHL veteran Manny Malhotra behind the bench, the head coach knows what it takes to make it to the NHL, but more importantly, he knows how to stay in the show.

Malhotra is pleased with the start of Mueller’s rookie season, but he knows that there’s a lot of work to do for Mueller to achieve his goal of making it to the NHL and sticking there when he gets his shot.

“The biggest difference between the American League and the NHL, or successful teams and average teams, is consistency,” said Malhotra. “Ty’s ability to do those things night in and night out is where he goes from here. Obviously, there's still some aspects of his game that he needs to evolve and work on and get better at, but the things that he is doing well need to be a part of his game on a nightly basis right now.”

The Sedins have been a big part of Mueller’s early stages of development with Abbotsford. Mueller believes it is a bit surreal to work with two hall-of-fame players, and he called working with Sedins “one of the best parts of this place.”

“Learning from those guys is the best,” said Mueller. “They know a lot more than I do. When they come in, everyone's listening, and they teach us some awesome stuff and little things that you don't necessarily think of at the time, but when they break it down, it shows you how important those little things actually are, and that makes you better.”

For Mueller, an example was how the Sedins just worked with him on getting a body between a defenceman and the puck when it is rimmed around the boards. The positioning was simple enough, but the Sedins explained how to take away the defencemen’s hands and what body positioning is needed to achieve that.

There is a lot of hockey left this season, but Mueller has improved and impressed in his debut with the Abbotsford Canucks. With the trust of his head coach and the support of the development team, Mueller is excited about where he can take his game in the coming years with the Canucks.